The College Football Playoff has revised its schedule for the upcoming season, but the playoff games will remain on New Year’s Eve.
The Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, which will host this year’s College Football Playoff semifinals, will air at 3 and 7 PM ET on December 31 — an hour earlier than last year’s kickoffs of 4 and 8 PM. The order of the games will not be determined until the matchups have been set.
The earlier start times, which were announced Monday, are likely intended to avoid competition with New Year’s Eve specials on the other networks. Last year, ABC, FOX and NBC attracted a combined 34.6 million viewers from 11:30-12:30 AM ET. Making the decision easier is the fact that New Year’s Eve is on a Saturday, rather than a workday, this year.
As a result of the scheduling change, the Orange Bowl will move back a night to December 30 — allowing it to air in primetime rather than Noon ET. The New Year’s Day bowl games (Cotton, Rose and Sugar) remain as previously scheduled, airing on January 2 to avoid the NFL.
(News from College Football Playoff, Sports Business Daily)
